Descriptive Statistics T1

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 WHAT ARE DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS?

 used to summarise a collection of data and

present it in a way that can be easily and
clearly understood.
Example:
A researcher administered a scale via a
questionnaire to measure self-esteem among 500
teenagers. How might these measurements be
summarised?

Two basic methods:

Numerical
compute the mean and the standard deviation. Numerical
approaches are more precise and objective.

Graphical
frequency table, bar chart, a line graph, or a box plot.
These graphical methods display detailed information about
the distribution of the scores. Graphical methods are better
suited than numerical methods for identifying patterns in
the data.
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 What is Data?
 Data is a collection of facts, such as numbers,
words, measurements, observations or even
just descriptions of things.

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 Data: Example
What do we know about the Dog?

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 Graphical Representation of Data
Pictograph

 A Pictograph is a way of showing data using

images.
 Each image stands for a certain number of
things.

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 Graphical Representation of Data
Pie Chart

 a special chart that uses "pie slices" to show

relative sizes of data.

Example: Student Grades

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 Graphical Representation of Data
Line Graph

 a graph that shows information that is

connected in some way (such as change over
time)
Example: Ice Cream Sales

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 Graphical Representation of Data
Bar Graph

 (also called Bar Chart) is a graphical display

of data using bars of different heights.

Imagine you just did a survey of your friends

to find which kind of movie they liked best:

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 Graphical Representation of Data
Bar Graph

 Student Grades

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 Graphical Representation of Data
Histogram
 a graphical display of data using bars of
different heights
 It is similar to a Bar Chart, but a histogram
groups numbers into ranges
Example: Height of Orange Trees

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 Measures of Central Tendency

Mean: The sum of all data

values divided by the number of
values x
For a population: 
N
x
For a sample: x
n
Median: The point at which
an equal number of values fall
above and fall below

Mode: The value with the

highest frequency

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An instructor recorded the average
number of absences for his
students in one semester. For a
random sample the data are:

2 4 2 0 40 2 4 3 6

Calculate the mean, the median, and the mode

Mean:
x 63
x x  63 n=9 x
9
7
n
Median: Sort data in order
0 2 2 2 3 4 4 6 40
The middle value is 3, so the median is 3.

Mode: The mode is 2 since it occurs the most.

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Suppose the student with 40 absences is
dropped from the course. Calculate the
mean, median and mode of the remaining
values. Compare the effect of the change
to each type of average.
2 4 2 0 2 4 3 6
Calculate the mean, the median, and the mode
Mean:
x 23
x x  23 n =8 x 
8
 2.875
n

Median: Sort data in order

0 2 2 2 3 4 4 6
The middle values are 2 and 3, so the median is 2.5

Mode: The mode is 2 since it occurs the most.

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 Measures of Variability/Dispersion

Range= Maximum value-Minimum value

Both figures below represent the marks of a
group of thirty students on two tests.

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 Standard Deviation & Variance
The Standard Deviation is a measure of how
spread out numbers are.
Its symbol is σ, it is the square root of Variance
Variance is
“The average of the squared differences from the
Mean.

Grades of 6 students
56 48 63 60 51 52
Mean = 55

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 How useful is the Standard Deviation?

Let’s work with an example:

The heights (at the shoulders) are:

600mm, 470mm, 170mm, 430mm, 300mm.

Find out the Mean, the Variance, and the

Standard Deviation.

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 Answers:

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 Answers:

Rottweilers are tall dogs. And Dachshunds are a

bit short .
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 Differences in Standard Deviations

A mathematics test was administered to Class A and

Class B. The distribution of the scores is shown.

Class A: the scores are widely spread out, which

means there is high variance or a bigger standard
deviation
i.e. most of the scores are ±6 from the mean. If the mean is 50,
then you can say that approximately 95% of the students
scored between 44 and 56.

Class B: low variance or a small standard deviation

which explains why most of the scores are clustered
around the mean
i.e. most of the scores are ±3 from the mean. If the mean is 50,
approximately 95% of the students scored between 47 and 53. 19
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